Words matter

This holiday break I took my own advice and decided to rest. For a social extravert, it felt awkward to not run from event to event but it allowed me to really enjoy my home and my family members. We slept late. We baked cookies and tried new recipes of our favorite holiday meals. We binge watched interesting tv shows and movies. And we hosted Christmas dinner with my best friend's family and ex-husband.

As we were watching the football game over dessert and discussing our favorite television shows, my ex-husband mentioned that the Dune Chronicles was quality television and that despite it being from the witches point of view it steered clear of being 'too woke.' I winced hearing him use the term 'woke' in this way. What it demonstrated to me was the power of disinformation and the ease and speed at which words are co-opted. That a Black man weaned on hip hop culture and who is well-read in US and world history would use the extremist framing of 'wokism' is a perfect example of why the work of the Campaign for Our Shared Future on messaging was so important.

We all know what woke has come to mean, but many in the Black community knew before this era that it had a very different meaning. You can click here and here for some history. But I use this anecdote to illustrate how quickly in the age of social media and the internet, words and phrases take on entirely different meanings and become triggers for conflict. Working in education for 30+ years has taught me that conflict is the enemy of learning. The work of educators must include embracing differences of all kinds and building bridges that allow students and families to come closer, to learn new perspectives, to be knowledgeable about the world around them even when we don't agree with the choices of our neighbors.

Throughout our campaign, we learned that several key messages activated a space where people come together instead of being driven apart. Common sense values that included putting family at the center of the discussion. Very few people disagree with the idea that families teach values and schools teach knowledge and skills. It is the acquisition of knowledge and skills that allows each child to reach the dreams they and their family holds for them. When we disagree, we can always return to this core idea to begin to craft solutions to resolve conflicts. While schools have sometimes struggled with diversity and a plurality of ideas, democratic principles serve as the foundation of providing education for all. Values like tolerance, inclusion, liberty, and independence are at the core of US public education. Public schools have always been places that welcome all students; turning no child away. Extremism seeks to deny this right to some; pitting families against each other. If anything is anti-'woke,' it's that.

I asked my ex-husband why he chose to use that word in that way. He looked puzzled at first. Then my son and daughter asked him what he meant by the term. He didn't have a great answer but ultimately he acquiesced to say that he was using it to mean forcing a view or perspective on others. Aha! The source of discomfort became visible. I reminded him that he was enjoying the perspective of the witches in Dune Chronicles (and his favorite characteristic --great writing!). That the inclusion of those voices added complexity to the story and extended the Dune lore. I further pointed out that the short hand of using 'woke' didn't really get at the issue. Did we need to play into politics and signifying or could we simply observe that we all need time to get used to new voices and differing perspectives at the beginning? My ex is a centrist so he chuckled and agreed. Conflict resolved--for the moment. But the way forward as times continue to be challenging is listening and questioning what we mean by the words we use. In polarizing times, the tiny wins will translate into big ones if we take the time with loved ones.